He got the last laugh!

Family and friends at an Irish funeral were shocked, then delighted, when they heard the voice of their late friend calling out from the grave.

When it comes to funerals, we generally expect many people to be crying, overwhelmed by the sadness and emotions of losing a loved one.

Of course, people always say that a funeral should be a celebration of a person's life. But this is easily said than done when there's a crowd full of heartbroken mourners.

Fortunately, one man from Dublin, Ireland, took matters into his own hands before passing away to make sure his funeral perfectly encapsulates his personality and hilarious wit.

After battling a long illness, Shay Bradley, an Irish Defence Force veteran, died on October 8. Last Saturday, mourners gathered in his home to pay their final respects.

He Died, Or Did He?

Immediately the casket was lowered to the ground, mourners' sadness turned to shock, and then laughter, when they heard a 'funeral voice prank' Bradley had planned before dying:

"Hello, hello — let me out!"

"Where the f...k am I? Let me out, let me out. It's f...king dark in here. Is that the priest I can hear? This is Shay. I'm in the box. No, in f...king front of you. I'm dead."

The pre-recorded message continued:

"Hello again, hello, hello. I just called to say goodbye."

Bradly's daughter Andrea, describing it as "the best send-off for an incredible man," wrote on Twitter, revealing that the recording had been played through a speaker on the ground next to her father's grave.

She said:

"It was his dying wish that we played this at his funeral. What a man... To make us all laugh when we were incredibly sad… He was some man."

The funeral clip has since gone viral after the Irish Defence Forces News shared the video on Facebook.

They wrote:

"It is with great sadness that I was informed of the passing of our Military Brother and Veteran Colleague Shay Bradley."

"On behalf of the members of the IDFVA, I extend our sincerest condolences and prayers to Anne and family at this sad time. May Shay Rest in Peace."

The Last Laugh

The group later added:

"Was asked a question the other day; it was what's the difference between military humor and civilian humor. It's simple. It's black."

"This video should say it all. This is the funeral of Shay Bradley on October 12, 2019, and it says it all…"

According to his granddaughter, Chloe Kiernan, all he ever wanted was to "make people laugh and smile, and that's exactly what he got."

What is quite clear, from his family's reactions, is that the video perfectly summed up Bradley's personality, proving he will no doubt be a big miss among his loved ones.

There are a couple of things we can learn from this story. Bradly was an absolute legend and wanted to see everyone happy.

Surely it's better to spend the day laughing and remembering your loved one's humor and incredible character while mourning your loss.